Author: Eric Gilbert

After the low temperature on Tuesday morning and the light snow cover the thermometer struggled to reach 5.0C in the very brisk westerly wind. This maximum was 2.0C below average. Likewise the minimum of 0.6C this morning was 1.8C below average and produced a ground frost.

There was 0.6mm of precipitation on Tuesday that brought the monthly total to 90.6mm, just 0.2mm above the 35-year average.

After the lowest barometric pressure this month on Tuesday morning the pressure has been building for the past twenty-four hours as a ridge builds over the country. Wednesday saw clear skies after dawn with the promise of sunshine.

Monday started with a little brightness but soon the cloud thickened and rain began to fall just after noon but was intense between 14.15 and 14.30.

The maximum temperature of 7.3C occurred at 13.15 as the cloud thickened ahead of the rain arriving, being 0.3C above the average. Overnight the minimum was 2.3C until just before dawn when the thermometer dropped to 0.6C, being 0.5C below average.

During the early hours of Tuesday morning, starting at 01.45 and heavy at 02.00, more showers occurred and as the temperature dropped to around 2.5C, they fell as sleet and snow. The precipitation for January now stands at exactly 90mm, which is 0.6mm below the 35-year average.

Tuesday arrived with thin, high cloud and weak sunshine as the sun rose above the local eastern horizon at 07.56.

After a brief shower in the early hours of Sunday the morning was dry but the approaching cold front brought increasing cloud and several hours of rain in the afternoon, intense between 15.15 and 14.30, amounting to 5.9mm. That brought the monthly total to 70.6mm, which is 78% of the 35-year average.

Temperatures by day and night, thanks to the cloud cover and south westerly breeze gusting to 24mph, were both above average with a maximum of 8.9C (+2.0C) and 4.7C (+3.6C).

Monday saw broken after dawn with the cloud base much higher.

Saturday game us the last of the very gloomy, dismal, damp days with the cloud base lowering in the afternoon restricting visibility to 2000m.

The barometric pressure has slowly been falling as the anticyclone eases away to the near continent. This resulted in the moment of air beginning to increase with early Sunday a gust of 18mph,the strongest since 17th January.

In the early hours of Sunday a rain band approached producing 1.2mm of precipitation between 05.30 and 06.00.

After dawn on Sunday the cloud from the earlier rain band could be seen moving off eastwards replaced by broken, higher cloud, thankfully not the thick, gloomy cloud of previous days. Waiting in the wings is another weather front that will bring rain in from the west later in the morning.

Friday was another of the recent dark, gloomy and still days being still under the influence of the anticyclone, but easing away. The strongest movement of air was just 7mph.

The thermometer eased upwards to a maximum of 7.1C, just above average whilst the minimum was almost exactly as the previous night with a minimum 4.7C.

There was no change on Saturday morning.